Israeli police on Wednesday said they arrested an Israeli settler suspected of violently assaulting Palestinians in the occupied West Bank while wearing military uniform in June.
The attack took place on June 6 in the Palestinian town of Huwara in the northern West Bank, amid surging settler violence against Palestinians in the territory.
Footage from the scene, published by Israeli media, shows multiple assailants pushing two Palestinians to the ground and physically assaulting them.
One of the attackers, wearing military uniform, can be seen repeatedly punching a Palestinian lying on the floor.
"The suspect who was seen in the recordings wearing military uniform during the assault and who had been on the run over the past month has been arrested," police said in a statement.
It added that during the attack, the suspect was "equipped with Israeli military gear, including an M16 rifle and a handgun, and apparently violently assaulted Palestinians, some of whom required medical treatment in hospital".
Police said the suspect was identified as a man in his 20s who is a resident of an Israeli settlement in the West Bank and a member of a rapid response squad -- armed civilian units providing security for settlements.
In a second statement, the police clarified that the suspect was not an active-duty soldier.
It said that several suspects had already been arrested as part of the investigation into the incident and an indictment had been filed against one person involved in the assault.
Excluding annexed east Jerusalem, around three million Palestinians live in the West Bank alongside more than 500,000 Israelis residing in settlements that are illegal under international law.
Violence in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, has surged since the Gaza war began with Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
Since then, at least 1,097 Palestinians, including fighters, have been killed by Israeli troops or settlers, according to Palestinian figures.
Official Israeli data shows that at least 48 Israelis, both civilians and security personnel, have been killed in attacks by Palestinians or during Israeli military operations.
